Describe the inquiry activity you will use for your informal assessment review. Explain what science practice(s) it will teach and how you plan to assess them. One inquiry activity that I will use is the following, which Mickey and I have found and re-created to fit our specific classroom needs and objectives. Investigating Photosynthesis and Respiration through Kinesthetics and Inquiry Purpose: To provide middle or high school students with a situation in which they can explore the relationship between photosynthesis and respiration. Objectives: Part I Students will be able to: ·recognize the photosynthesis equation is basically the respiration equation “backwards.” ·realize that the very same carbon molecules that heterotrophs breathe out are the carbon molecules that make up the backbone of the glucose molecule. ·write the equations for photosynthesis and respiration with coefficients and subscripts Procedure: Part I. Kinesthetic activity. Each student is given the role of a molecule of carbon, hydrogen, or oxygen. Depending on the size of your class, some students may need to be assigned the role of two molecules of the same element. For example, you may need to give one student two “H’s” instead of one “H.” If you have a large open area in your classroom, you can conduct this part of the activity inside. Otherwise, you will need to plan to go outdoors, into the hallway, or even to the school gymnasium or cafeteria. Once you arrive at your destination, hold up the poster board with the equation for photosynthesis facing the students. First, instruct the students to position themselves so that they represent the reactants of the photosynthesis equation. (Remember to assign a student to the role of “sun,” “+” and “yields”.) Once students have gotten into the correct positions give each group of molecules the name of the substance that they represent (carbon dioxide or water). Next, have the students position themselves so that they represent the products of the photosynthesis equation. Once the students have positioned themselves correctly give each group of molecules the name of the substance they represent (glucose or oxygen). The idea is that students will realize that the very same carbon atoms that make up carbon dioxide make up the backbone for the glucose molecule.Now hold up the respiration equation. First have the students position themselves to represent the reactants for respiration. Again, when they are correctly positioned, give the names of the substances that they represent to the groups of molecules (oxygen and glucose). Next, have the students position themselves so that they represent theproducts of the respiration equation. Once the students have positioned themselves, give the groups of molecules the names of the substances they represent (carbon dioxide and water). I like this activity as an inquiry activity because it visually and kinesthetically shows the students that the reactants become the products, and that cellular respiration is basically just the backwards reaction of photosynthesis.I feel that it is important for students to discover this concept through inquiry, because the students are more likely to understand and grasp the concept. The science practice this teaches is the concepts of the photosynthesis reaction and cellular respiration reaction, through discovery and inquiry.These are major concepts in biology.I feel that this is a very important concept for students to understand because many more topics stem from this. I plan to assess the students of understanding of these concepts through a series of informal and formal assessments which include asking review questions, filling in a photosynthesis concept map, playing a review game for this chapter, and finally a chapter test.
One inquiry activity that I will use is the following, which Mickey and I have found and re-created to fit our specific classroom needs and objectives.
Investigating Photosynthesis and Respiration through Kinesthetics and Inquiry
Purpose:
To provide middle or high school students with a situation in which they can explore the relationship between photosynthesis and respiration.
Objectives:
Part I
Students will be able to:
· recognize the photosynthesis equation is basically the respiration equation “backwards.”
· realize that the very same carbon molecules that heterotrophs breathe out are the carbon molecules that make up the backbone of the glucose molecule.
· write the equations for photosynthesis and respiration with coefficients and subscripts
Procedure:
Part I. Kinesthetic activity. Each student is given the role of a molecule of carbon, hydrogen, or oxygen. Depending on the size of your class, some students may need to be assigned the role of two molecules of the same element. For example, you may need to give one student two “H’s” instead of one “H.” If you have a large open area in your classroom, you can conduct this part of the activity inside. Otherwise, you will need to plan to go outdoors, into the hallway, or even to the school gymnasium or cafeteria.
Once you arrive at your destination, hold up the poster board with the equation for photosynthesis facing the students. First, instruct the students to position themselves so that they represent the reactants of the photosynthesis equation. (Remember to assign a student to the role of “sun,” “+” and “yields”.) Once students have gotten into the correct positions give each group of molecules the name of the substance that they represent (carbon dioxide or water).
Next, have the students position themselves so that they represent the products of the photosynthesis equation. Once the students have positioned themselves correctly give each group of molecules the name of the substance they represent (glucose or oxygen). The idea is that students will realize that the very same carbon atoms that make up carbon dioxide make up the backbone for the glucose molecule. Now hold up the respiration equation. First have the students position themselves to represent the reactants for respiration. Again, when they are correctly positioned, give the names of the substances that they represent to the groups of molecules (oxygen and glucose).
Next, have the students position themselves so that they represent the products of the respiration equation. Once the students have positioned themselves, give the groups of molecules the names of the substances they represent (carbon dioxide and water).
I like this activity as an inquiry activity because it visually and kinesthetically shows the students that the reactants become the products, and that cellular respiration is basically just the backwards reaction of photosynthesis. I feel that it is important for students to discover this concept through inquiry, because the students are more likely to understand and grasp the concept.
The science practice this teaches is the concepts of the photosynthesis reaction and cellular respiration reaction, through discovery and inquiry. These are major concepts in biology. I feel that this is a very important concept for students to understand because many more topics stem from this.
I plan to assess the students of understanding of these concepts through a series of informal and formal assessments which include asking review questions, filling in a photosynthesis concept map, playing a review game for this chapter, and finally a chapter test.